This Week in Tufts Athletics: October 9 - 15

Oct 11, 2017

Football

When: Saturday vs. Trinity at 1:30 pmWhat you need to know: The Jumbos picked up a 31-3 win over Bowdoin this past weekend as the defense did not allow a touchdown for the first time since 2006. That will help the Jumbos head into a big week on a good note, as they prepare to play first place and defending NESCAC Champion, Trinity, on Saturday. The Bantam are currently 4-0 and tied for first place with Middlebury. After not allowing a point in their first two games, the Bantam defense has allowed nine points against Williams and then 13 versus Hamilton this past week. The Bantams are on top of the scoring offense category in the conference (36 points per game), and also total defense, allowing just 224.5 yards per game. But the Jumbos are right there, scoring 30 points per game and allowing their opponents 18 points per game. The Bantams won, 36-28, last year when the two teams played.

Men's Soccer

When: Tuesday vs. Mt. St. Vincent at 4:30 pm and Saturday at Bates at 3 pmWhat you need to know: The men’s soccer team has a midweek contest against Mt. St. Vincent before they get back to work in the NESCAC with a trip up to Bates on Saturday. The Dolphins visit Medford on Tuesday with a 5-4-1 record. This is the first meeting between the two teams. After the midweek contest the Jumbos get ready for a trip to up Maine to take on the Bobcats, who are 4-3-2 overall with a 1-3-2 NESCAC mark. That lone conference win came over Hamilton. The Bobcats are in ninth place in the conference standings. The Jumbos won 3-0 when the two teams played last year.

Women's Soccer

When: Wednesday at Endicott at 7 pm and Saturday at Bates at 12 pmWhat you need to know: The women’s soccer team has two games on the schedule this week. The Jumbos head to Endicott on Wednesday and then Bates on Saturday. The Gulls are up first and are 7-3-1 this year, without sharing any common opponents with the Jumbos. Rachel Hanna has a team leading 12 goals. The Jumbos won last year, 4-0, when the two teams played. After the midweek the team will get ready for a Saturday trip up to Maine. Bates has a 6-4-1 overall record with a 2-3-1 conference mark. In the most recent NESCAC paly they fell to Bowdoin, 3-2, and then Connecticut College, 3-0. The Jumbos won, 5-2, when the two teams played last year.

Field Hockey

When: Wednesday vs. Gordon at 5 pm and Saturday at Bates at 12 pmWhat you need to know: The No. 5 field hockey team has games against Gordon and Bates this week. The Jumbos host Gordon, who owns a 3-8 record, on Wednesday at Ounjian Field. Natalie Amadez has a team-leading 12 goals this season for the Scots. It was a 6-0 Tufts win last year when these two teams played. On Saturday the Jumbos will head up to Maine to take on the Bobcats. With a 5-5 overall record and a 2-4 conference mark the Bobcats are currently in ninth place in the conference standings. But, they did upset No. 2 Babson, 2-1, in overtime on Tuesday night. Taylor Lough has a team-leading six goals for the Bobcats. The Jumbos won, 2-0, when the two teams played last year.

Volleyball

When: Friday vs. Middlebury at 7 pm, Saturday vs. WPI at Endicott at 2 pm and Saturday at Endicott at 4:30 pmWhat you need to know: The volleyball team has a big week ahead of them, hosting Middlebury on Friday night and then heading to Endicott for a double-header on Saturday. The Jumbos will be looking for revenge when they host the Panthers, as Middlebury upset the Jumbos in five sets in the NESCAC Championship game last year. Middlebury is 12-3 overall with a 5-1 conference mark this year, most recently having fallen in five sets to Wesleyan. The Jumbos will then head to Endicott on Saturday and take on WPI and Endicott. WPI is 8-12 overall and 1-6 in NEWMAC play this year. The Jumbos and the Engineers did not face off against each other last year. A match with Endicott on Saturday wraps up the week for the Jumbos. The Gulls are 11-8 overall and 4-1 in CCC play this year. The Jumbos won, 3-1, when the two teams played last year.

Men's Cross Country

When: Saturday at Connecticut College Invitational at 12 pmWhat you need to know: The men’s cross country team should be well rested and ready to go this weekend. Their top runners rested this week as some of the team competed in the JV race at the New England Championhip at Franklin Park. This week the Jumbos head to the Connecticut College Invite on Saturday. The Jumbos finished fourth as a team at this race last year as then seniors Tim Nichols and Luke O’Connor finished first and second overall.

Women's Cross Country

When: Saturday at Connecticut College Invitational at 12 pmWhat you need to know: The women’s cross country team had a good showing this past weekend, finishing 11th at the All-New England Championships at Franklin Park. Junior Natalie Bettez finished 11th overall and was the first Division III finisher. The Jumbos 11th place finish was the best NESCAC finish and they were the second Division III team behind third-place MIT. This weekend they will head to the Connecticut College Invitational on Saturday. The Jumbos won this race last year as four runners placed in the top-20 overall including current senior Brittany Bowman and current junior Bettez.

Golf

When: Sunday and Monday at New England ChampionshipsWhat you need to know: The golf team will wrap up their fall season this weekend as they compete in the New England Championships at Captain’s Course in Brewster, Mass. on Sunday and Monday. The Jumbos finished tied for 4th at this event last year on the same course. Coming off a third place finish at the NESCAC Qualifier, and freshman Alex Honigford sharing first place honors at the Blazers Fall Invite this past weekend the Jumbos are in a good place heading into the final fall weekend.

Sailing

When: Women Saturday and Sunday at Yale Intersectional at 9 am and Coed Saturday and Sunday at New England Sloop Championships at Roger Williams What you need to know: The coed and women’s sailing teams will be back on the water this weekend. The women head to the Yale Intersectional as the coed team will compete in the New England Sloop Championships at Roger Williams. The women finished 6th at this event last year, while the coed team was fifth at this event at Salve Regina last year.

Men's Tennis

When: Saturday and Sunday at MIT Invitational at 9 amWhat you need to know: The men’s tennis team has two of their fall tournaments under their belts and they will head to MIT for the MIT Invitational this weekend. The Jumbos competed this event last year, where there was a main draw and consolation bracket for both singles and doubles, along with a secondary singles bracket. Brackets for this year’s event have not yet been posted.

Women's Tennis

When: Friday and Saturday at Bowdoin Invitational at 8 am What you need to know: The women’s tennis team will wrap up their fall season this weekend at the Bowdoin Invitational. The Jumbos will play on Friday and Saturday up in Brunswick. Ten Jumbos competed in the singles and doubles brackets at last year’s event. Brackets for this years invitational have not yet been released.

Men's and Women's Crew

When: Saturday at The Hadley Chase at 8 amWhat you need to know: Both the men’s and women’s crew teams opened their fall seasons two weeks ago at the Green Mountain Head regatta in Putney, Vt. This weekend they will both be back on the water at The Hadley Chase at South Hadley, Mass. This will be the first time either of the teams competes in this event which is hosted by UMass.

Bruce Johnson, Senior, Men's Soccer

Senior goalie Bruce Johnson posted his sixth shutout of the season on Saturday as the No. 4 men’s soccer team picked up a 4-0 win over Middlebury on Saturday at Bello Field on Homecoming at Tufts. The Jumbos improved to 5-1-1 in NESCAC play and their defense continues to be stellar. Johnson has not allowed a goal in 552:18 minutes in goal and has collected 14 saves this year.

Mackenzie Bright, Junior, Volleyball

or outside hitter Mackenzie Bright had another stellar week for the volleyball team, helping the Jumbos pick up three wins. In a 3-0 blanking of Rivier midweek, Bright turned in five kills and a block. She then was vital in a 3-2 win over Amherst on Friday night, matching her career-high with 18 kills in the Jumbos win. She finished off the weekend with seven kills and a block in a 3-0 win over Trinity on Saturday. Bright is leading the Jumbos this year with 2.88 kills per set.

Senior Doug Harrison anchored a Jumbo defense that didn’t allow a touchdown for the first time since 2006 in the 31-3 win over Bowdoin on Saturday. Harrison had a 12-yard sack and the first interception of his career, which is our Play of the Week! Watch it here:

The football team brought home a 31-3 win over Bowdoin on Homecoming weekend at Tufts. The Tufts defense did not allow a touchdown for the first time since 2006 and the offense rushed for 227 yards and three scores.

The No. 4 men’s soccer team picked up a 4-0 conference win over Middlebury on Saturday on Homecoming weekend. The Jumbos got goals from four different goal-scorers as Brett Rojas, Biagio Paoletta, Dexter Eichhorst and Travis Van Brewer all tallied scores.

Women’s soccer picked up a 2-0 win over Hamilton on Sunday. Junior Sarah Grubman and senior Margaret Zahrah were the goal scorers for the Jumbos.

Junior Natalie Bettez led the women’s cross country team at the New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association Championship at Franklin Park. Bettez finished 11th overall out of 194 runners and was the first Division III finisher.